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CEO'S CONNECTION
THE FORCED DATABASE UPGRADE
BY ROB GARDOS, CEO
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is one of the most important adages in technology. Change is the most likely cause of any problem, so unless the benefits of change are significant there is little reason to do anything. Sure, if we are talking about some new CRM system that will ultimately increase revenue (assuming you can actually get it installed) or data center automation software that will eliminate costs and inconsistency (the second most likely cause of technology problems), then it’s a no brainer. But when you’re looking at more common change events, like application upgrades and patches, the cost benefit is much more suspect.
Now enter the ugly database upgrade. Talk about one of the lowest value tasks to perform. Assuming the underlying application is working properly, there is absolutely no functional benefit of upgrading Oracle, SQL Server, or any database to the latest revision. We are all rational beings, so why does anyone ever upgrade? The loss of support and security are generally the main drivers. While many of us have run unsupported applications, this tends to result in unhappy endings when a major meltdown occurs. Whether support helps or not, we need someone else to blame, at least for job security.
So if database upgrades are a fact of life, how can you handle them in the most painless way possible? Some quick recommendations:
- Never upgrade in place if that upgrade can not be reversed
- Validate everything – never trust vendor documentation
- Use hardware upgrades as an opportunity to upgrade your database – it’s not often you’ll have a separate production environment to play with
- Certify and enforce the upgrade process not just the new database version
Unfortunately, everything above is going to cost you what you don’t have – resources. Quality DBAs are the most difficult IT position to fill (and the most expensive) and the number of environments under management is increasing. For most organizations this equates to rushed upgrades which ultimately results in delays and downtime.
The only way out of this mess is through automation. Unfortunately, the act of automating these tasks is so complex and error-prone that many organizations can’t do it, especially considering the pace of forced change in the enterprise. Companies need a specialized framework where the database upgrade process is automated, consistent and customizable. The solution must be natively aware of the nuances and dependencies that ensure a successful process. This is the type of power that GridApp Clarity™ customers are leveraging every day to mitigate the effects of change and maximize the value of their people.
While change may not be beneficial, it is inevitable – so be ready for it.
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